Davao Tenpin Bowlers Association (Datba) bets swept the top three spots in the doubles event of the 19th Datba Araw ng Dabaw Invitational Open, underscoring their dominance on home lanes at SM Lanang Bowling Center recently.
Datba’s James Young and Kath Lee powered their way to the title with a 2,482 total, assembling rounds of 1,189 and 1,293 to claim the P20,000 top prize. The duo surged in the final stretch of the tournament to outlast a tightly contested field.
Emz Salvador and Kim Salvador secured the first runner-up spot with a 2,411 aggregate (1,214 and 1,197), while fellow Datba husband-and-wife pair Jesrael and Ulene Rule completed the sweep, placing third with 2,385 (1,184 and 1,201).
Young said their late push proved decisive in a division marked by constant leaderboard changes.
"Tough gyud ang competition. Every day, lain-lain ang mag lead sa score board sa doubles. Sa last night ra mi nakahabol kay both mi ni maam Kath nangbuto ang scores (It was tough. Every day, a different pair was leading. We only caught up on the last night when both of us delivered big scores)," he told SunStar Davao, noting the strong challenge from visiting bowlers, particularly the contingent from Kagayhaan Bowlers Association.
The doubles event also marked a return to the Araw ng Dabaw tournament calendar after several years, adding significance to the victory.
In the mixed masters event, KBA’s Sam Advincula captured the title and P40,000 after prevailing in the step-ladder finals. He defeated Datba’s Joshua Disuacido, who settled for first runner-up despite holding a twice-to-beat advantage.
Advincula outdueled Disuacido, 193-180, in their first meeting and sealed the title with a 173-140 win in their second match.
Earlier, Advincula (215) advanced through the step-ladder rounds, overcoming JV Flores (197) and Crystal Chavez (170) before edging Romy Obaob in the semifinals, 224-184.
“I lost in the finals even with the twice-to-beat edge, but it was a good game,” Disuacido said, marking his fourth Top 4 finish in the Araw ng Dabaw Open. "Maybe it's not my time to be a champion in the Araw ng Dabaw, although I won the Kadayawan Open twice already."
He settled for the P20,000 cash prize while third-placer Obaob earned P10,000. They also received trophies.
Datba players Flores and Chavez went home with P5,000 and P3,000, respectively.
Young also topped the qualifying round to earn the P3,000 bonus, capping a strong all-around showing for Datba in the tournament. mlsa